EARTH DAY FUN: Goodbye, Tupperware parties. Today’s stay-at-home moms meet for EcoMom parties, where hosts lecture on methods for composting, making a waste-free lunch and ridding the home of toxins. EcoMom Alliance founder Kimberly Pinkson wants EcoMom parties to become a part of wedding and baby showers, book clubs and even ladies’ nights out: http://ecomomalliance.org.

VACCINES & AUTISM: Once considered a fringe viewpoint, the vaccine-autism connection is being taken more seriously since Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she believes vaccines can trigger autism “in a vulnerable subset of children.” April is National Autism Awareness Month, and a panel of experts discussed the developmental disability last week on “Larry King Live.” Panelists included celebrity mom Jenny McCarthy, whose son, Evan, has autism.

GOOD GREEN FUN: Remember going to the beach and using a cut-off milk carton as a sand shovel? Now, a California company is recycling milk containers into some pretty cool toys. So far, there’s a multicolored cooking set and a gardening kit. A tea set will debut next month. And, of course, there is a sand toy set: www.greentoys.com.

FIRST PREGNANT MAN? Last week, Oprah interviewed Thomas Beatie, a 34-year-old transgendered male who kept his female reproductive organs and is now with child. Beatie used a sperm bank and was artificially inseminated because his wife of five years is infertile. The couple is expecting a daughter in July. “I’m a person and I have the right to have my own biological child,” Beatie told Oprah.

STOW THE CELL: Our lives are going to change July 1, when it will become illegal to use a traditional cell phone while driving. Violators will be subject to a $20 fine for the first offense, and $50 thereafter. While hands-free headsets will help busy moms who rely on drive time to make calls they can’t make when kids are unrestrained, there’s still the issue of text-messaging. Now, Mother Proof has compiled a list of services that use voice recognition technology that lets you text without typing. www.pinger.com; http://jott.com.

GRUNION RUN: Spring is here, and that’s when the little silver fish come out to mate. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro hosts bi-weekly events featuring an educational program followed by a guided walk on the beach to watch the fish make like the birds and the bees: www.cabrilloaq.org.